


The Path Back To You

by Joo_rin



Category: SHINee
Genre: F/M, Getting Back Together, Implied Mpreg, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg, Slice of Life, cross-posted on asianfanfics, kid!Lucas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21768283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joo_rin/pseuds/Joo_rin
Summary: Four years ago, they decided that things between them would not work out.They both went their separate ways, convinced that it was the right thing to do by one another.Life had other plans for them.
Relationships: Choi Minho/Lee Taemin
Comments: 34
Kudos: 82





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm procrastinating, and I've been itching to post this for a while so... I know I have to get back to my other fic, but right now, I needed to put this out there.
> 
> I've been working on this story for a little while. It has a sister, one that was born from the same idea, though it differs almost completely (that's one I'll keep to myself for a little longer though... for another project, per se ^^")
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy, do tell me what you think!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Joorin.

1.

After they break up, Minho convinces himself that it’s for the best.

Their relationship reached a point for both of them where they needed to make decisions and give up on some of their precious dreams and projects, that neither is ready to give up on yet.

So he makes himself believe that, if it was meant to be, they wouldn’t have hesitated so much in the face of the obstacles rising on their way and would’ve simply gone on with their relationship, experiencing little disappointment at the loss of their old dreams.

As it is, though, both he and Taemin never wanted to give up on said dreams. No matter the cost. Even if their relationship and love were the ones to suffer at their decisions.

So they go their separate ways, hearts aching at the loss of one another, but holding onto their dreams and projects like a life-line. Reassuring themselves it’s how things are supposed to go.

Which is why, when he notices he missed a call from an overseas and unknown number around a month later, he doesn’t think much of it, until he starts to listen to the voicemail the caller left.

Minho is a little lost at first when he hears Taemin’s voice come through the speaker and refuses to acknowledge the ache and longing the omega’s light husky tone causes in him. When the shock subsides slightly, he finds himself pulling the phone away with a frown, without hearing the reason why Taemin called him.

He doesn’t call the younger male back. He can very well imagine how the conversation would go if he did: Taemin telling him it was a mistake and that they should’ve never broken up. The omega asking him for another chance to make things work and him giving in, because when was he ever able to resist the raven-head?

So he ignores the call, refusing to allow himself to use his instincts as an excuse as to why he’s so weak for the younger.

He tells himself he doesn’t have time for that, that he can’t let the omega distract him from his work. Instead, he focuses on the papers laid out on his desk and tunes out everything else.

However, Taemin doesn’t give up that easily. He calls several other times, leaves voice messages and texts, all of which Minho ignores and deletes without bothering to read or listen to. Eventually, Taemin calls his office and Minho instructs his secretary not to pass on any call from the omega.

Minho’s only glad that, with the younger being out of the country, he doesn’t wound up showing up at his office or his apartment unannounced, because the alpha seriously doesn’t need that distraction right now. Not when he’s about to strike the deal that will take his family’s business from the edge of bankruptcy.

Minho doesn’t know when the calls stop coming. He doesn’t ask his secretary for how long Taemin insisted on calling either. Instead, he just feels glad his phone isn’t being bombarded by messages and calls anymore.

He worries, however, when he finds out that he’s not the only one who doesn’t hear from Taemin anymore. All of their friends are also subject to complete radio silence, not only from the omega’s part but from his family as well. Not that they have much opportunity to talk to them, even in person, given Taemin’s immediate family lives in Japan.

It hurts and his inner alpha is agonizing at the loss of his beloved omega, but he roughens up and forces himself to believe it’s for the best. For both of them.

Days go on like that, weeks, months. Minho’s business thrives, his family’s name rises again and he can finally feel fulfilled. At least professionally.

Even still, four whole years pass and not a night goes by, without him dreaming of his omega and of the family they could’ve built together. No one, it doesn’t matter how many lovers he collects, fills in the void the raven-head left in his life and his inner alpha becomes bitter and cold, breaks ties with him and disconnects him from his most basic instincts.

Minho becomes an empty shell driven by nothing but work and the overall coldness that became his second nature.

Even so, he doesn’t seek his omega. He muses that after all these years, the younger ought to have built himself a new life, found an alpha that loves him like he deserves and not under the condition that their projects match.

So, it’s only natural, that the last thing Minho expects is to enter the elevator at his apartment building one day, to hear a familiar voice shout an urgent,  _ “please, hold the doors!” _

His brain doesn’t register the familiar soft husky tone, but his body moves on its own as he presses on the button to keep the lift doors open.

A few seconds later, a man comes in holding a boy into his arms, a school backpack – obviously the boy’s – hanging from the man’s forearm, together with a pharmacy bag, as a satchel hangs from his shoulder.

“Thank you,” the man says, without looking at him.

The first thing that strikes Minho as the other presses the button for the fifth floor, is the sweet scent of omega and then that unforgettable fragrance mixing cherry blossoms and lemons and a hint of coffee. Minho freezes as his eyes stop on the omega’s face, his inner alpha waking like it’s been electrified as he stares at the younger.

His Taemin.

His Taemin who is standing right by his side, staring back at him with an aghast expression on his features, just as the doors of the lift close and they start moving.

His Taemin whose features are so much more beautiful than in his memories and whose scent is so much more calming and tempting than he could ever remember.

“Daddy, my head hurts...”

His Taemin, who is cradling a child into his arms.

A child that is not Minho’s.

The omega tears his eyes away from him as the boy in his arms whines, small arms wrapped around his father’s neck and his little face hidden in the crook of it.

Taemin massages his son’s back, as he whispers in a comforting way, “shh, baby, you’ll be fine. We’re almost home.”

Minho wonders if the boy is sick, as he watches the exchange, his eyes drifting back to the pharmacy back hanging from Taemin’s arm.

“Tae–”

The raven-head instantly glares at him and Minho clamps his mouth shut, not having expected the hostile response. The omega steps to the side until he’s almost leaning against the wall opposite to the alpha, putting as much distance between them as possible in the enclosed space of the elevator.

Minho’s inner alpha whimpers and curls up into a ball.

The elevator ride is so fast, the elder feels like those few minutes are nothing but seconds during which he’s unable to muster up a proper greeting. When the doors open on the fifth floor, Taemin steps out without a single look in his direction. Minho stays frozen on his spot as he watches the other’s retreating back until the doors of the elevator close again and the box restarts its course to drop him off on the last floor.

Minho moves mechanically after that. He steps out of the elevator into the hallway, types in the code on the single door on that floor and steps into his empty and cold penthouse.

Taemin’s scent is still wafting in his nose and it’s like he’s coming down from a high. His head hurts, his heart thunders in his rib-cage and his fingertips tingle.

The younger’s image is imprinted in his mind’s eye, clear as day. More vivid than it has ever been in the past four years.

When he drops his brief-case on the couch in the living room, he stands by it for what feels like an eternity. He’s numb and dizzy. He wants to walk right out of his apartment and go after his omega.

His omega who has a child.

His omega, who probably has a mate. The child’s father or mother.

His omega, who doesn’t have a place for him in his life anymore.

Minho doesn’t sleep that night. Hell, he doesn’t even eat or shower.

He merely lies in bed, still in his suit, feeling suffocated by more than just the tie around his neck. He stares at the ceiling of his bedroom, making no efforts to chase the memory of his precious omega that he missed so much, from his mind.

In the days that follow, Minho finds himself looking everywhere for just a glimpse of Taemin. He enters the elevator in the morning, hoping to see the younger hopping in on the fifth floor. He enters the same elevator when he gets home from work, hoping for a repeat of that first encounter a week ago and every time, he finds himself sorely disappointed.

He itches to see the younger again. Fights with himself not to investigate which apartment the omega lives in and every time he wonders why he even needs to stop himself, he’s reminded that Taemin has a child. That the younger probably has a mate and that said mate also lives in that apartment. It’s also a little of cowardice from his part, both because he’s scared of finding out if his suspicions are true and because he doesn’t want to see Taemin glaring at him again, like he did that day, a week ago.

So he’s reduced to waiting and hoping to see the younger again by chance.


	2. Two

**2.**

When Minho reunites with his friends for a brunch at Jinki and Kibum’s house, he goes over without much enthusiasm, thinking about how much of an empty space Taemin’s absence always leaves in their reunions. In all honesty, what pushes him to go this time around, is the fact that the younger is back and that, maybe, just maybe, he’ll get to see him there.

Of course, he’s conscious that’s more of wishful thinking, but somehow it gets him going.

Needless to say that he’s sorely disappointed when he notes that the omega is nowhere to be seen. It renders his mood rather terse and distant, which doesn’t go unnoticed by his friends.

“What’s on your mind?” Jinki asks him as they sit on the couches in the veranda.

The elder is holding his one-year-old daughter by the waist as she bounces excitedly on his lap, unstable tiny, chubby legs relying completely on her father’s ability to keep her from falling to the floor.

Minho doesn’t know why he had even expected his friends to be aware of Taemin’s return. Given how the omega had simply vanished four years ago after he had stopped calling Minho, the alpha muses he should have known better.

He lets out a deep sigh and indulges Eunji as she leans toward him, tiny arms reaching out to him. He smiles softly at the baby and takes her from her father’s arms. As she settles to bouncing on his lap like she’d been doing with Jinki, he’s content with just letting her be, focusing on her for several seconds as he collects his thoughts.

Jinki waits patiently, knowing Minho will talk eventually.

“Taemin’s back,” the younger alpha states after a moment, voice rough.

Jinki isn’t sure he heard him right. He doesn’t say anything and just stares at the younger.

“What did you say?” Kibum suddenly asks, voice rising an octave in surprise, as he steps out of the kitchen onto the veranda, holding a tray with snacks.

Behind him, Joohyun also stares wide-eyed at them as she follows the other omega into the veranda, another tray of food in her hands.

Jonghyun, who was busy making faces at his four months old son, lying on his lap, looks up in surprise as well.

Minho sighs again and repeats himself, “Taemin is back.” He marks a pause and then adds, “I saw him a few days ago.”

“Where?!” Kibum inquires abruptly, frowning as he sets the tray on the coffee table.

“At my apartment building. He– he lives there... I think.”

“You think?” Jonghyun repeats with incredulity.

Minho shrugs.

“I didn’t talk to him,” he informs and helps Eunji as she tires and starts sitting down on his lap.

“Why?” Joohyun asks, going to sit by Jonghyun.

“I tried,” Minho says, almost defensively and then recomposes himself. “He– he just... he glared at me and didn’t say a word.”

“That doesn’t sound like him,” Jinki comments, setting a hand on Kibum’s knee as the omega sits by his side.

Minho presses his lips in a tight line as he recalls that evening.

“It’s been four years,” Kibum states as a matter-of-fact, saving Minho from trying to conjure an explanation. “Whoever knows how much he changed. It’s not like any of us stayed the same.”

As he says that, he stares at Minho meaningfully and the alpha avoids his gaze, knowing that the statement is being mainly directed at him.

“He has a kid,” he informs, feeling his chest constrict as he recalls the fact.

“What?!”

This time, it’s a chorus of voices that exclaim the question.

“I think he was sick, the boy was complaining about a headache or something.”

“Wait!” Joohyun speaks up, being the first to recover from the shock. “Does that mean he’s... you know, mated to someone?”

Minho feels like he was just punched on the gut and he grits his teeth. The conclusion is the same he’d come to and yet, to hear it stated makes it all the more painfully real.

His Taemin isn’t his anymore.

He blinks back into reality as Jinki sets a hand on his shoulder.

“Minho... how are you doing?” He asks slowly.

They all know why he and Taemin broke up. They were all against it and lost as to why the two would even end their relationship because of their careers. They also know that, after things had settled and the reality of things had caught up to him, Minho had taken a blow bigger than he had expected. A blow that had completely crushed him after Taemin had completely vanished from their lives.

The fact the omega is back, with a child and a new mate makes them all worry for the alpha. They don’t want a repeat of these two first years following Taemin's departure.

“I’m good,” Minho says. Lies.

He lies because he can’t admit to it hurting so much. He lies because he knows whatever he says won’t change things. He lies because his friends know the truth without him having to outright say it.

“I gotta talk to him,” Kibum states.

He’s wearing that expression that says he’s ready to give one of those lectures he’s infamous for.

“Kibum, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jinki tells his mate evenly. “If he’s back, for however long he’s been back, and hasn’t contacted us, maybe he doesn’t want to see us. And think about his mate, whoever they are, may not like you going over and chiding Taemin for something that happened over four years ago.”

“You think I care?” Kibum shoots back with a scowl. “Lee Taemin is going to hear me. He needs to know he screwed up.”

“I care,” Jinki retorts, his face a wall of seriousness. “I don’t want anyone mistreating my mate, even if you’re the one who went after it.”

“You think Taemin would mate with someone like that?” Jonghyun inquires, clearly unconvinced by the thought.

Minho sets his jaw, feeling the anger boiling in him at the simple thought of his Taemin being in a relationship that could be abusive in any way.

“I also think it’s better to let him come to us in his own time,” Joohyun speaks up as she picks up Minhyung from his father’s lap when he starts fussing.

“What if he never does?” Kibum asks, his frown never faltering. “He’s been gone for years and never showed a sign of life. He’s been back for who-knows-how-long and still didn’t come to us.”

“So your idea is to force our presence on him?” Jonghyun inquires skeptically before adding in a wry tone, “good way of rebuilding a friendship. It’ll totally work.”

Minho closes his eyes tightly and sighs. He doesn’t want to hear any of that anymore. Slowly, he lifts Eunji from his lap and sets her in Jinki’s arms.

“I’ll just go back home,” he declares as he rises from the couch.

His friends look at him in surprise, sadness slowly filling their gazes.

Minho hates that so much. That pity.

“Minho...” Jinki calls softly.

“I just– I need to be alone right now,” the alpha confesses, allowing himself only for that moment to show just how much that topic is affecting him.

The others don’t say anything, merely nod in understanding.

Kibum doesn’t let him leave without packing some of the food he prepared and thrusting the plastic containers into his arms.

“You better eat,” he tells him sternly.

Minho nods, refraining from telling the omega he isn’t all that hungry anymore. He thanks him instead and bids goodbye to his friends.

When he gets home, he stores the containers in the fridge and locks himself in his office, pulling out some files and opening his e-mails.

Maybe, if he can drown himself in work, he’ll manage to get his mind off his omega.

His omega, who he fears isn’t his anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying this ^^  
> Updates will be short but I'll try put them up as often as I can!  
> Do tell me what you think in the comments,
> 
> With love,  
> Joorin <3


	3. Three

**3.**

Taemin runs his fingers through his son’s hair relieved that the boy has finally fallen asleep after so many hours of complaining about his sore throat and aching chest. It pains him to watch his little boy being ill, but he knows there’s nothing much he can do. It’s not like he can just chase away the damn pneumonia that has been plaguing his baby.

He knows he’s already overprotective enough with his son and that any farther than that, he would be suffocating the tiny alpha and that’s the last thing he wants.

Lucas’s immune system is very fragile, one of the many consequences that came with his being born prematurely.

Taemin’s loathes the memories of those seven months his pregnancy lasted, yet he knows he can’t pretend none of it ever happened.

Alpha-withdrawal made it impossible for him to carry on a healthy pregnancy and in consequence, his little boy was born at only thirty-one weeks, subject to many of the problems that came with being born much earlier than he was supposed to.

He’s not only smaller than children his age, but he also falls sick easily and has an unforgiving asthma that requires constant watch. Taemin feels like a failure as a parent, even though the doctors keep reminding him that as he grows up, Lucas will most probably also grow out of most of the difficulties he has as a child.

It’s already a given that Lucas’s brain and other motor faculties seem to have developed at a rather typical rate. It’s a gift he knows not all children having been born in the same circumstances are granted.

The omega presses his lips in a tight line and sighs before setting a soft peck on his son’s forehead, glad that at least Lucas’s fever has gone down.

He rests his head on the pillow, keeping a protective hand over the three-year-old’s tummy, his heart breaking at his boy’s unstable breathing pattern, even though he knows that with his condition, he couldn’t have expected anything else. He looks over at the nebulizer he set on the bedside table, just in case Lucas needs it to breathe and hopes with everything he has that it doesn’t come down to it.

Just thinking of having to use the contraption makes him remember when his son was just a newborn and needed assistance from machines so he could breathe. Taemin would spend hours just watching his little baby in the incubator, breathing with difficulty with all these tubes and wires around him. His skin was so translucent and thin then, one could see the blue veins all over his small body. The baby was so tiny and fragile that Taemin couldn’t help but shed tears every time he thought of all the problems his son already had to face at such a young age.

It still makes his heart ache when he thinks about it.

Lucas grunts a little in discomfort, pulling the omega out of his thoughts, and Taemin watches as his son moves to sleep on his side, his little legs coming to rest on his father’s side. The raven-head smiles softly, brushing the memories away as he pulls the covers up, to adjust them over the boy's body.

Once he’s sure Lucas is still deeply asleep, he closes his eyes in hopes to get some rest. Yet, he’s still somewhat afraid to fall asleep and risk missing any sign of his son’s condition worsening.

So he simply lies there, eyes closed as he focuses on Lucas’s unstable breathing. As the minutes pass, his mind slowly drifts back to his encounter with Minho in the elevator a few hours before.

He sets his jaw in anger then, his heart clenching in his chest for a whole other reason as he tries to chase the memory from his mind.

He hates how, even after four years away from each other, the alpha’s scent still makes him feel so weak in the knees.

When he decided to accept that job offer at the Universal Ballet company and moved back to Seoul, he had been hoping that, with the city being so huge, there were chances he wouldn’t run into any of his old acquaintances from before and so, he had been far from imagining that he would end up living in the same apartment complex as his ex-lover, whom he had vowed to never let approach him or his child.

Now that he’s here, painfully conscious that the older male lives just a few floors above him, he wants nothing but to find himself somewhere else to live with his baby.

He grits his teeth as he recalls the alpha’s attempt at talking to him earlier as if the two of them were nothing but stranded acquaintances. What a joke. If Minho thinks that, after he so blatantly refused to talk to him or acknowledge their child four years ago, he can simply talk to him as if nothing happened, then he’s even more of a fool than Taemin thought.

As he strokes Lucas’s hair soothingly, hoping the boy’s condition will have improved by morning, he comes to a decision he is positive is the best for his son.

As soon as Lucas is over his pneumonia, he’s going to look for a new place to live. He can’t bear the thought of raising his little boy anywhere near the father that never wanted him.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Taemin smiles as he sees Lucas walking into the kitchen, dragging his steps and his Pororo doll by the foot, rubbing his sleepy eyes with the back of a hand.

“Good morning, baby,” the omega greets, setting a jar of fresh orange juice on the table before making his way to the three-year-old.

“’moning, daddy,” Lucas greets back, his voice still a little hoarse.

The omega crouches in front of the boy and sets a hand on his forehead to check his temperature and smiles when he notices it seems normal. Even so, he pecks Lucas’s forehead and instructs him to go sit on the couch in the living room so he can check his temperature with a thermometer and give him his medicine.

“Let’s have breakfast,” Taemin invites cheerfully once Lucas begrudgingly swallows his antibiotics.

The boy grimaces and shakes his head.

“I don’t wanna,” he whines, sliding down on the couch until he’s lying on it, hugging his Pororo doll to his chest.

Taemin presses his lips in a tight line and then forces a cheerful expression as he speaks cheerily, hoping that his enthusiasm will somehow affect his son, “I made your favorite, honey,” he explains. “You don’t even want a taste?”

Lucas simply shakes his head and Taemin represses a sigh. Even though it’s been two weeks since his diagnostic and though his condition has improved a lot, Lucas still isn’t eating properly. When he does express hunger, he is only able to eat a little before stopping altogether, claiming to be full.

Taemin is quickly running out of ideas on how to make his son eat and he’s afraid that at that rate, he’ll be forced to take Lucas to the hospital to be hooked on an IV.

“Daddy?” Lucas calls, pulling Taemin from his musings.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“You work today?”

The omega smiles softly and chases a few strands of hair from his son’s face with his fingertips.

Despite Lucas being sick, Taemin saw himself forced to go to work every day and leave his little boy in the cares of a nanny. Although he hates the idea in itself, there’s little he can do as there is no such thing as leaves for single parents with a sick kid. It breaks his heart every time he comes back home to hear the nanny recount to him how Lucas won’t stop asking for him all through the day. And as if he doesn’t feel guilty enough about leaving his baby with a nanny, the boy refuses adamantly to sleep anywhere but in his father’s bed _“because it smells like daddy and I miss daddy”_.

“No, I don’t, honey,” the omega informs softly.

“Because it’s your day off, right?” Lucas inquires, his big dark eyes that he inherited from his alpha father, shining with hope.

Taemin nods and says in a joking tone, “yes. Which means you’re stuck with me for a whole three-days-weekend.”

“I don’t mind,” the boy states seriously. “You’re good company.”

Taemin huffs a small, incredulous chuckle.

For an almost-four-year-old, premmie boy, Lucas is a very smart one. What he doesn’t have as physical attributes, his brain compensates with intelligence and many times, Taemin finds himself bemused by his son’s eloquence. Even though the boy can act like any other child his age any time he finds himself in a situation he judges unfair and throw the biggest tantrums the world has ever known, Lucas can also put on the most surprising shows of maturity for a child. Even his speech is advanced for a child his age, the fact surprising any adult that comes in contact with the boy.

“Yeah, well, Daddy would love to spend the weekend with a healthy boy. But that’s only happening if my little man eats something.”

Taemin berates himself for being so low, but he’s willing to even go there if that means Lucas will at least eat a little.

In response, the boy pouts.

Taemin pouts right back, making sure to exaggerate his expression with a grotesque pull of lips and frown, which makes the three-year-old press his lips in a tight line to repress a smile, his eyes shining with restrained amusement.

“You look funny,” Taemin tells his son with a fake worried tone, eyes widening exaggeratedly as he pokes his son’s nose. “Are you sick again?”

Lucas giggles at him and shakes his head before burying his face in his Pororo doll, his father cracking a fond smile as he tickles the boy’s side, making him squirm.

“So, will I spend my weekend with a sick baby or a healthy baby?” The omega inquires.

“Healthy is good,” Lucas states, his voice muffled by his doll. “But healthy doesn’t mean hungry.”

“Oh, really? Last time I checked,” Taemin says, pulling the boy up from the couch into his arms, Lucas wrapping his arms around his father’s neck and his legs around the man’s torso, like a koala, as the omega keeps talking, “healthy boys ate a lot more than you do.”

The three-year-old rests his head on his father’s shoulder and hums in consideration.

“Okay,” he finally gives in just as Taemin reaches the dinning part of the room.

Taemin represses a sigh of relief and slowly walks them to the dining table. He sets the boy on the chair where his booster seat is installed.

Lucas’s eyes go wide as scans the food laid out on the table and he exclaims, his voice cracking slightly, “egg toast!”

His father cracks a smile as he runs his fingers through the boy’s hair, “I told you there was your favorite.”

His son’s happy smile is everything and Taemin feels like he’s just won his whole day just by seeing it.

“Look, there are braised potatoes,” as he says that, Taemin grabs a small plate where he deposits some of the said food and Lucas’s eyes shine at the sight, “and beef stew.”

“No beef stew,” Lucas firmly states looking at the stew as though it offended him.

Taemin sets his jaw and then decides to abide by that, “okay, no beef stew,” he then smiles again, as he sets the plate in front of Lucas before tapping his index finger on the edge of a small bowl in front of the boy, “but there’s chicken porridge.”

Lucas presses his lips in a tight line and then he declares, “just a little.”

Taemin nods, conceding again because he’s just happy the boy looks like he’s not opposed to eating anymore.

After serving the boy a glass of orange juice, Taemin settles by his side and serves himself, keeping an eye on Lucas and making sure the boy eats at least half of his meal.

Later in the day, they’re sitting on the living-room floor, Lucas’s Lego and several other toys spread around them as they try to build the Big Ben 3D puzzle-set that Jongin, Taemin’s brother, got Lucas as a very early Christmas present.

Adam and Eve, their dogs, are laying on the couch, sleeping, which is the most they do nowadays, given their old age.

“Daddy! It doesn’t work,” Lucas complains, a pout pulling at his lips.

The tower is half-built and for once, Lucas doesn’t appear to be in the mood to finish it in one go, like he's usually so eager to.

“Do you want to take a break, baby?” Taemin asks. “Maybe we can go to the park for some fresh air.”

Lucas hums in consideration as he lays on the floor and turns on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“Besides, Adam and Eve need to take a walk.”

Honestly, Taemin feels apprehensive about taking Lucas out because of his condition. Even still, he also knows that fresh air could only do his little boy good.

“Okay,” Lucas says, rolling over so he’s laying on his stomach again.

Taemin smiles and says “let’s put away your toys and we can go.”

Lucas beams at that and gets up, proceeding to gather his Lego in his tiny arms, dropping several on his way to put them in their box. Taemin watches him fondly and slowly starts collecting the other toys lying around.

A few minutes later, as they’re almost done tidying up, the doorbell rings.

Taemin frowns, wondering who it could be. There aren’t many people who would come to visit them. Apart from the nanny on workdays, and his brother, who has just gone back to Japan two days ago, Taemin can’t think of anyone else.

Then it suddenly occurs to him that there’s one more person who knows he’s back and he tenses up at the thought. Minho wouldn’t dare show up at his doorstep, would he? There is no way.

“Can you take these to your room, sweetie? I’ll see who’s at the door.”

Lucas just nods and takes the storage cube with the last of his toys.

“Is it heavy?” Taemin inquires and the boy shakes his head before starting his trek towards his bedroom, Eve on his tail as Adam follows Taemin to the door.

The omega breathes deeply, praying that it isn’t Minho who’s standing at the other side.

Just as he unlocks the door and pulls it open, he feels both relieved and upset at the person that greets him. He had known from the day he met Minho again, that he wouldn’t be able to avoid that moment. It would be a lie to say that he hadn’t hoped for it to never happen though.

“Hello, Taemin, it’s so nice to see you again!” Kibum says, there’s this expression on his face, a cocked eye-brow, a pull to his lips that indicate he’s not all that happy.

“What are you doing here?” He inquires in-lieu of greeting, trying to sound as nonchalant as he can.

Kibum’s eyebrows arches even more.

“Well, I heard that you were back and since you didn’t bother contacting us, I decided to take the first step.”

The younger omega presses his lips tightly. He doesn’t miss the veiled accusation in the elder’s voice and he’s not sure how to react in response.

This is Minho's best friend, there's only so much he can be after Taemin for.

“So... are we going to just stand here, or are you going to invite me in?” Kibum questions, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

Taemin is tempted to ask the elder to simply leave, but he knows he has no actual reasons to. After all, he’s the one who disappeared without a trace, without notifying anyone. Kibum wanting to talk to him isn’t unexpected, although it’s still far from wanted.

So Taemin nods and invites the elder in and guides him to the living room. He offers him a drink and snacks, though Kibum opts for just a tea.

A few minutes later, they’re sitting in the living-room, Taemin on the armchair and Kibum on the couch. There's a tense silence in the air and Taemin wonders if the elder will eventually start talking. He sure as hell won’t be the first to break the silence.

“When did you come back?” Kibum finally asks, setting his mug on a coaster on the coffee table.

“A little over a month ago,” the younger omega replies, he internally winces at how terse his voice sounds.

“And it didn’t occur to you to ever give a sign of life?” Kibum inquires, accusation now clear in his tone.

Before Taemin can answer, Eve comes running into the living room, closely followed by a giggling Lucas, who’s chasing after the poodle with grabby hands.

The boy stops on his tracks just by the couch as he catches sight of their visitor and his cheeks go instantly pink and he looks down shyly.

“H– hello,” he greets in a small voice.

Taemin smiles fondly at his son’s quirks and invites, “come here, honey.”

Lucas takes tiny steps towards his father and lets the omega pull his small body onto his lap.

“Hi there,” Kibum greets the boy with a soft smile. He looks at Taemin and says, “when Minho told us, I almost didn’t believe him.”

Taemin frowns at the mention of the alpha. But more than anything, he’s upset at the fact the bastard went and so freely spoke of Lucas with his friends as though he has always been a part of their lives.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Kibum asks the boy on the younger omega’s lap.

The three-year-old presses so close to his father’s chest, it’s like he’s trying to disappear into it.

“My name is Lucas,” he answers anyway, though his voice is still as meek as before.

“Nice to meet you, Lucas,” Kibum says, smiling. “My name is Kibum, I’m an old friend of your daddy’s.”

The boy looks up at his father then, to confirm the information and though Taemin deems the claim an overstatement, he still smiles down at his son, nodding slightly.

“Did you put your toys away, where they should be?” He asks his son once the boy is satisfied with his answer, running a hand to smooth the boy’s bangs back.

Lucas hums, nodding his head in confirmation.

Taemin smiles and pokes his nose, “good job,” he compliments. “Now honey, why don’t you take Eve and Adam and go play with them in your room? Daddy and Kibum need to talk.”

“Big boys’ talk?” The boy inquires curiously.

Taemin chuckles and presses a kiss to his forehead before saying, “something like that.”

“Okay,” Lucas gives in easily before sliding off his father’s lap and then calling out to their puppies and waving Kibum goodbye before rushing back to the hallway he emerged from a couple of minutes before.

“He’s adorable,” Kibum comments once the boy is out of sight.

“Thanks,” Taemin says and then takes in a deep breath.

Before he can say anything, Kibum comments, “he looks like Min–” he interrupts himself, scoffs with a frown and revises himself, “never mind. How old is he? He’s so eloquent.”

Taemin pretends he doesn’t notice how disturbed Kibum looks at the sight of Lucas. He muses that with how much his son looks like Minho, it was bound to bring on such a reaction. Still, he is surprised by the question the older omega asks instead of finishing his sentence and raises an eyebrow in confusion as he answers almost hesitantly, “he’s three.”

Kibum stares at him for a couple of seconds and then scoffs in disbelief as he comments, “wow... You moved on pretty quick from Minho, huh?”

The younger male can only stare back, not understanding where that is coming from.

“While Minho was here, hurting and pinning over you, you were already jumping someone else! How could you?!”

“I’m sorry?!” Taemin asks indignantly, his expression falling at Kibum’s words.

“Oh, don’t act dumb, Taemin,” Kibum states, scowling. “Seeing the way Minho was, we were all worried sick about you. About how you were handling the situation. But obviously, we worried for nothing. You could’ve called and at least informed us that you’d already moved on.”

Taemin’s blood is simmering, his anger growing a little more at each of Kibum’s words.

“Is that what the bastard told you?” The younger omega inquires, his tone of voice dry. “That I’d moved on and had gone on to have a kid with someone else?”

Kibum’s scowl turns into a frown of confusion.

“I did call Kibum,” Taemin informs dryly. “More times than I could count. I left Minho voice mails, texts, emails. The bastard never once bothered picking up or answering. He had his freaking secretary tell me to stop calling.”

“What?”

“I was already pregnant when we broke up,” Taemin reveals, scowling. “I found out when I was in St Petersbourg. I called to tell him. When he didn’t pick up, I told him through the messages I left him. He never once got back to me. Not even to tell me he didn’t want anything to do with me and my kid.” By then, the omega is speaking through gritted teeth. “You’re going to tell me the bastard never told you?!”

“You’re not making sense…” Kibum states and then he lets out a trembling breath. “You’re… You’re saying that Lucas is… that he’s Minho’s son?”

“He’s _my_ son. Minho was merely a sperm donor. And that’s what he’ll stay as. He gave up the right to call Lucas his son four years ago.”

Kibum shakes his head, having a hard time wrapping his mind around the information.

“Minho wouldn’t… you know Minho, Taemin. He would’ve done anything to be with you and Lucas. Are you sure he even knows?”

The dry, humorless laughter that escapes Taemin is a foreign sound to Kibum’s ears. The Taemin he knew wasn’t this bitter. Granted, he hadn’t known the younger for very long before he’d left for St Petersbourg, but he still recalls those three years they’d been acquainted for. The Taemin he knew was sweet if a little of a goofball.

Not this bitter and cold persona that he is facing.

“I think it’s way past time you left,” Taemin decides as he gets up from the couch.

Kibum huffs in incredulity and says, “you can’t just drop a bomb on me like that and be done with it. We need to talk about this!”

“No, we don’t,” the younger states in all seriousness. “It’s been four years, Kibum. The time to talk about this is over. Look, I didn’t come back to Seoul to dwell on the past, I came back to give my son a better life.”

Kibum rises to his feet, just as serious, “yeah? And keeping him from his father is a definition of a better life in your book?”

“Keeping him from the father that rejected him is,” the raven-head argues without missing a beat.

Kibum staggers at the words. Had he been in Taemin’s place, would he have done any different? Although it’s hard for him to picture Jinki rejecting him and their daughter, if it had happened, would he have ever wanted the elder anywhere near his baby after so many years?

Then again, how can he be sure Minho ever even meant to turn his back on Taemin and their child? He knows Minho and he can’t imagine the alpha running from his responsibilities like that. He needs to talk to the alpha, he decides. He needs to get to the bottom of this.

“This conversation is not over,” Kibum tells the younger as he lets Taemin escort him to the front door.

“Believe me, it is,” Taemin retorts as he opens the door and waits for Kibum to walk out. “Have a good day.”

Before Kibum can even say anything, the younger closes the door, leaving the older omega to stare at it in shock.

After his astonishment at having the door slammed on his face subsides, Kibum takes in a deep breath and pulls his phone out of his pocket.

He scrolls through it for Minho's number and barely hesitates before pressing the call button.

There are a couple of dial tones before Minho picks up.

“Hello?”

“We need to talk. Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Kibum might get to the bottom of this before Minho and Taemin can get their heads out of their bosoms. Yay?  
> I love writing kid Lucas... <3
> 
> As always, do tell me what you guys think!  
> Thank you for the kudos and for sticking around ^^
> 
> With Love,  
> Joorin<3


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years everyone! I hope you'll have a wonderful 2020 full of blessings <3

**4.**

Minho watches with a frown as Kibum walks into his office.

The omega had insisted their talk couldn't wait and while Minho had half a mind of refusing the request, the other half hadn't found the strength to argue his way out of the conversation.

Which led to him simply telling Kibum to come to his office.

“What's the matter?” He inquires as the older male makes sure the door is closed behind him.

Kibum turns around and sighs deeply before going to sit on the couch on the left side of the room.

Minho watches him for a few seconds before deciding to join him.

“So?” He presses.

“I just talked to Taemin,” the omega informs, gauging Minho's expression.

It takes him a few seconds to register and understand the words. When he does, he growls in shock, “what?! I thought Jinki told you to leave it alone!”

Kibum raises an eyebrow at him in defiance and declares as he crosses his legs, “he's not the boss of me. I do what the hell I want.”

At any other time, that attitude from Kibum would’ve made him smile. Now though, it just fills Minho with stomach-curling frustration. He grunts and heaves a long sigh, shaking his head and closing his eyes. Suddenly, the tie around his neck is a little too tight and he pulls at the knot with two fingers, eager to loosen the death grip.

“He doesn't have a mate,” Kibum says as the silence stretches. “He's a single dad.”

Minho's not sure how that information makes him feel. Relieved? Happy? Bitter that his omega still went and had a kid with someone else?

“The boy's name is Lucas.”

The alpha's throat clenches painfully against the lump that formed there. Does Kibum really think sharing this information with him will do any good?

“He's three,” the omega supplies after a beat.

It’s like being electrified and Minho repeats, voice faint, “three?”

Taemin left four years ago. Almost day by day. Yet, he has a three-year-old son. The math was simple, which begged the question: did his omega not take their break-up as hard as Minho did? Was it that easy for him to move on so fast?

“He said he called you,” Kibum keeps speaking, though, by this point, Minho can barely make sense of his words. “He said that you never answered his calls. That you even had your secretary tell him to stop calling.”

“I never had Miyoung to tell him that,” he finds himself arguing feebly.

Though he's not sure how much of that is true. He _had_ instructed Miyoung not to transfer him any calls from Taemin.

Knowing the beta, she had probably chosen the most effective path to follow his order, which, apparently, meant telling Taemin to stop calling.

The fact he never got back to the younger either, despite him calling incessantly was something he wasn’t ready to talk about. The regrets his decision filled him with were too great for him to face. Especially given the recent discoveries he made about his omega’s new life.

Still, he wonders bitterly if his radio silence warranted such a low blow on Taemin's part that he went and had a kid with another to get back at him.

“Why didn’t you call him back?” Kibum pries, his voice taking on a sharp tone.

Minho avoids the elder’s gaze, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

There’s a beat of silence before the omega snorts in disbelief.

“Did you know?” the omega inquires dryly.

Minho looks up to find Kibum’s gauging gaze turn into a glare as a scowl breaks onto his features.

“Know what?” The alpha inquires, suddenly lost as to what they're talking about.

He sees the older male’s jaw tensing as he presses his lips together in that tell-tale gesture that shows he is growing impatient.

“Did you even listen to his voicemails back then?”

Minho gulps and shakes his head, tearing his gaze away from the omega once more.

“Why not?”

Minho licks his dry lips and admits weakly, “I was afraid that hearing his voice would make it harder to cope.”

Kibum snorts again and declares dryly, “you're a moron.”

It's the alpha's turn to clench his jaw. Before he can say anything in his defense though, Kibum speaks again.

“He was calling to tell you that was he pregnant. That he was carrying your child.”

The words hover Minho's ears without really getting in to be processed. The alpha stares blankly at Kibum.

“Lucas is _your_ son, Minho.”

As his brain takes in the words, they make little to no sense.

Surely, he heard it wrong.

“What?” He asks dumbly.

Kibum sighs and says, “he told me that he found out he was pregnant when he got to St Petersbourg. That he called to let you know but that you never answered him. Minho, he thinks you know about Lucas. He thinks you simply just don't want anything to do with your son. That it's the reason why you never made a move to get in contact with them.”

The omega marks a short pause and finally adds, “I told him you didn't know but he wouldn't listen to me. He's angry at you, says you lost the right to call Lucas your son when you rejected him four years ago.”

Minho pulls at his tie again until it’s loose enough so he can pop the first two buttons of his dress shirt.

He has a son.

Taemin didn't go and have a child with someone else.

Taemin had _his_ child.

Then why does it all feel so surreal? Why can't Minho fully believe the claims?

He heard Kibum just fine and yet, he can't admit to himself that he understood what the elder said.

“Are you sure the boy's mine?”

Kibum glares at him once again.

“Oh! You gotta be kidding me!” He growls as he throws his hands in the air, breathing heavily. “Why would he lie about this?” He goes on. “I saw him, Minho. I spoke to him. _The boy is your spitting image_. And the timing… you can't pretend it doesn't fit. He could've been very early into the pregnancy when he left.”

Kibum sighs and shakes his head as he regains some composure.

Minho can’t bring himself to talk. He can’t even think straight at this point.

The omega sighs once more and then admits, “I obviously don’t know Taemin as well as you do, but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t pull something like that. And I’m sure you know that too.” He pauses and then adds, “it's at least worth the benefice of the doubt. Go talk to him, make things straight. If not for the sake of your relationship, then at least for the well-being of that adorable little boy who has no fault in this mess.”

Minho shifts his gaze down to his hands.

A part of him knows Kibum is right. Yet, admitting to it, admitting that Lucas is his son, implies that he abandoned his omega at a crucial time. That, in his haste to make things right by the younger, he actually made them worse.

Not only that, but it also implies that he missed the first three or so years of his child's life.

The idea is jarring and Minho's not sure how to process it.

It feels like an eternity later when he finally finds his voice back.

“I have a son?” He inquires softly, feeling dumb for needing any more confirmation.

Kibum sighs softly and then reaches out to take the alpha’s hands into his.

“A very smart little boy, from what I saw,” he reveals gently. “A little boy who deserves to know his other father.”

Minho can’t find it in himself to smile at the information. Not when another jarring thought occurs to him.

“Taemin must hate me,” he whispers.

There’s a fear gripping at his insides, like a clawed hand trying to squeeze the life out of him.

“He’s angry, very angry,” Kibum points out, his tone still soft. “But I think it’s more out of hurt than hatred. He does think you deliberately turned your back on them...”

“No,” Minho states, desperation twisting his features as he looks up to Kibum. “I would never… I–” his voice cracks. “I would do anything to be with them. I… I love him, Kibum. I could never...”

“I know that,” the omega says, squeezing his hands slightly. “And I’m sure that deep down, so does he. Right now, though… I think he needs to hear it from you.”

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

As much as he tries, Minho can’t get his mind back into work after Kibum leaves, with a promise of a talk about his choice of ignoring calls.

As if the knowledge that he has a son isn’t enough to make him despair his idiotic choices.

He stays in his office for a couple more hours, trying to at least finish what he had started before his friend came along to drop the bomb on him. When he finally admits defeat, he dejectedly gathers his things and leaves, instructing his secretary to cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day and the upcoming week.

When he gets to his apartment building, he gets in the elevator in the underground parking lot and stares blankly at the buttons by the doors. He is itching to press the one to the fifth floor, but can’t find the courage to do so.

Eventually, the doors close but he still does not budge, too overwhelmed to do anything.

The small piece of paper on which Kibum scribbled down Taemin’s apartment number and his contact information weights like lead in his pocket.

When he asked Kibum how he got all of that information, the omega shrugged and explained rather blandly that he has a friend who’s very good with computers.

Minho didn’t dare investigate further, afraid it would warrant him some incriminating knowledge. Kibum kept contact with quite a few of his jail-bait buddies from high-school and Minho doesn’t want any part of that.

However, the point now is that he has all the means necessary to contact Taemin and clear things up between them.

All the means necessary but not the guts to go through with it.

This is why he is more than taken aback as that chance encounter he had been hoping for almost two weeks finally happens again.

The elevator doors slide open once more to reveal Taemin standing right there, holding his– _their_ son's hand and grasping the leash of his beloved dogs, Adam and Eve.

It takes several seconds for either of them to react.

Adam and Eve are not so patient. Even more so as they instantly recognize Minho and bark excitedly, bouncing over to him, begging for attention.

Minho looks down at the dogs and smiles thinly, itching to crouch down and pet them, to show them he too, missed them.

Yet, he doesn't move. He isn't sure if he even has the right to, given the recent development his and Taemin's story has taken.

One Minho is still struggling to process.

“Come on, Daddy!” Lucas exclaims as he pulls his father into the elevator, tiny body encountering great difficulty in moving the larger male.

That seems to snap the omega out of his trance and he finally looks down at his– _their son_ – Minho reminds himself once more.

“Honey, we should take another elevator,” he says, voice going on an even softer tone than Minho knows him for.

“Why, Daddy? There is enough room here for all of us,” Lucas points out with such a perfect diction and ease that Minho can't help but stare in amazement at the child. “I need to use the bathroom!”

He wonders whether three-year-olds are supposed to be so good with words.

“Adam and Eve are too excited, this might make the gentleman uncomfortable,” Taemin justifies, though Minho suspects his unwillingness to get on the elevator has little to do with making sure the alpha is comfortable.

In fact, he can tell it's taking everything from the omega to keep up the composed facade.

Lucas stops pulling and looks up at Minho, big round dark eyes, boring into the older male's own identical set.

“I am sorry sir,” he apologizes softly, a soft blush sprinkled over his cheeks. Still, he fights through the obvious shyness to speak, “Is it okay if we get in with our puppies? They are nice, I promise.”

And had Minho still had any doubts before that this boy is his child, they're quickly drowned out by the striking resemblance their share. He muses that for once, Kibum wasn't exaggerating.

It’s not just the eyes, it’s the mouth, the face shape, even his hair-line is like Minho’s.

Faced with such a revelation, the alpha struggles to find his voice back before he says, “I don't mind.”

Taemin glares at him so heatedly, Minho is sure that if the omega had any kind of heat vision, he would have combusted on the spot.

“Thank you, mister!” Lucas chirps, beaming, and for a second, Minho forgets how to breathe.

Lucas turns back to look up at Taemin – the omega quickly schools his expression to look at the boy –. The three-year-old says, “did you hear that, Daddy? Mister doesn’t mind. Now, can we go, please?”

Minho watches as Taemin forces a smile on his face before nodding at his son’s request.

_Their son’s request_ , Minho thinks with frustration. Why can’t that fact just simply sink in once and for all?!

As they step onto the elevator, Taemin makes sure to pull Lucas’s tiny body close to him, the boy’s back pressed tightly against the omega’s legs as the raven-head presses the button for the fifth floor.

Eve and Adam are bouncing around Minho’s legs, bopping his shins, demanding an attention the alpha wants nothing more than to give them.

He remembers how before he and Taemin started dating, he had always defined himself as a cat-person and had never really wanted to have dogs. When he had first met the omega’s two pets – which the younger had since he was a child –, Minho had struggled a little to grow comfortable around them.

Up until the moment he found he was the one doting on them instead of his boyfriend.

Minho misses those times. He misses the comfort of going home to find Taemin there, to be greeted by their dogs – because at some point through the four years they had been together, Eve and Adam had become his too –. He misses knowing that he always had someone to return to at the end of the day.

“Taemin,” the sound of his voice is foreign to his own ears, too deep, too rough with barely contained emotion.

The omega tenses and Lucas looks up at them, obviously surprised the stranger knows his father’s name.

“We need to talk.”

Minho doesn’t know where the courage came from. He doesn’t feel all that brave inside.

“We’ve got nothing to talk about,” Taemin retorts coldly.

Minho swallows, reminding himself not to cower. He knows it is not going to be easy.

So he steels himself and reveals, “Kibum told me everything.”

Taemin scowls and points out with his own steely resolve, “nothing you didn’t already know.”

Minho clenches his jaw, but before he can say anything, the elevator stops its ascent and the doors slide open.

Taemin nudges Lucas forward and takes a step in that direction himself but Minho seizes his arm, his whole body trembling at the idea of losing this chance.

“I didn’t know,” he confesses, voice cracking, desperate to be heard. “I didn’t listen to or read anything you left me. _I didn’t know_.”

Taemin takes in a shuddering breath and Minho half expects him to snatch his arm away.

He doesn’t. Instead, he looks up at Minho and says, voice barely above a whisper, “don’t play with me. I waited for you long enough, I can’t afford that now. Lucas needs me, more than I ever needed you.”

That’s when he does snatch his arm away and follows Lucas out, pulling Adam and Eve along with him.

Minho stays there, staring at his back for several seconds until the elevator doors start to close again.

This sight is becoming too familiar, he muses. He can’t leave it at that.

If he hadn’t been such an idiot four years ago and at least listened to what Taemin had been trying to tell him through the phone, they wouldn’t be here. He would have been there for the omega; he would have been there for Lucas.

So he extends an arm to hold the doors and steps out just as they slide back open.

“Taemin, please,” he pleads, trying to keep his voice from cracking too much, though he’s not very successful at that. “Let’s talk about this.”

The omega’s back stiffens, but it’s Lucas who whirls around to look at Minho, his eyes large with confusion, though a small frown is slowly forming on his face.

“Please, mister, leave my Daddy alone,” he requests before grabbing Taemin’s hand to pull him along.

Minho is stunned for the umpteenth time. He itches to forego any rationality and use his authority as alpha to command his mate to stay and listen.

Yes, _his mate_. Because Taemin has always been his, no matter how much they fought against that knowledge. Taemin has always been his mate, even after they foolishly put an end to their relationship.

The little boy clinging to the omega’s hand, who looks so much like Minho, is proof of that.

Still, he opts for the safest option not to bring upon himself any more of Taemin’s resentment. The safest option as not to scare the little boy who’s so obviously trying to put distance between them.

“I’ll drop by some other time, so we can talk,” he states, causing Taemin to scowl at him.

He’s not asking, though. Even if he doesn’t want to order the omega around, Minho knows that if he leaves him any way to opt-out of that talk, the younger will take it.

He looks down at Lucas, forces a smile at the frowning boy and bids him goodbye, deep voice going soft.

The child obviously hesitates to answer before whispering a small, “goodbye, mister.”

Minho watches them walk to their door and can’t bring himself to tear to his eyes away, even after they have both disappeared into the apartment.

It hurts as he swallows around the lump in his throat, his heart is hammering in his chest, longing to see his little family again, to have them to himself once and for all.

Yet, he knows there’s a lot he needs to do before he can reclaim his place by their sides again.

He promises himself, as he absently makes his way back to the elevator, that he will do the impossible to earn that right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Kibum got his suspicions confirmed that Minho didn't know about Lucas... and Minho found out about his son... Next up, we'll see how Taemin takes in that information and finally, the talk.


	5. Five

5.

“Are you okay, Daddy?” Lucas inquires once the door clicks shut behind them.

He’s scanning Taemin’s face with an expression far too mature for a child his age, as though he’s waiting for the omega to crumble in front of him.

Taemin smiles thinly and crouches down to look his son in the eyes and assures, “I’m fine, sweetheart, there’s no reason to worry.” And then adds for good measure, “remember what Daddy said about being able to stand up for himself?”

Lucas’s serious expression pulls into a pout as he averts his gaze from the elder’s.

“Yes,” he answers meekly but then rushes on, looking back at his father with a frown, “but the mister was bothering you.”

“He wasn’t,” Taemin lies, his heart clenching painfully as he forces himself to get the next words out. “He’s an old friend whom I lost touch with a long time ago.”

Lucas’s frown wavers and he asks, “what does that mean?”

Sometimes, Taemin forgets his smart little boy doesn’t know everything.

“It means that we haven’t spoken in a long time, which is why he was asking if we could talk,” he explains slowly.

Lucas blinks at him and then inquires, clearly doubtful, “so he wasn’t being mean?”

Taemin shakes his head, plastering his most convincing smile on his face and states, “he wasn’t.”

The three-year-old still doesn’t look very convinced but Taemin muses that’s the best he can do for now. He has to come to terms with the situation himself, before being able to comfort his son on it.

“Now,” he says, helping the boy out of his jacket. “Didn’t you need to use the bathroom?”

Lucas’s eyes widen and he exclaims, “right!”

A second later, he’s discarded his shoes in the entry-way and has run off into the apartment.

Taemin swallows, breathing shakily as his smile disappears. He fitfully takes the leashes off Adam and Eve’s collars, both dogs quickly rushing into the depths of the apartment as well.

As he’s left alone in the entry-way, Taemin rises back to his full height only to find his legs are trembling too much to keep him up. He leans against the wall as his world sways, taking in another shaky breath as he stares at nothing in particular.

Minho’s words echo in his mind. 

“I didn’t know. I didn’t listen to or read anything you left me. I didn’t know.”

He doesn’t believe the alpha. He doesn’t want to.

If anything, the elder’s ignorance of the situation only makes it all worse.

If he’s telling the truth and really didn’t know about Lucas, that means that the elder had never bothered even checking why Taemin had been calling him so desperately.

The omega can’t help but wonder what had gone through the alpha’s head then. Had he just assumed Taemin had been trying to beg him for them to get back together? Had he thought the younger so needy and clingy that he would stoop so low as to pursue him, even after they had established their relationship wouldn’t work?

By the time the thoughts have formed in his mind, the omega is seething in anger, chocked up with so much frustration, his throat hurts from the pressure.

Even so, he forces himself to gain some composure as not to alert his son that something is wrong.

Lucas is a smart boy and it’s obvious he caught up on the fact something was amiss when Minho insisted they talk.

Rare are the times when his little alpha feels the need to protect him like that.

It happened just once before, a couple of months before they moved from Kyoto to Seoul when an alpha had tried getting too handsy with Taemin at the mall.

Lucas’s little frame had shaken with so much anger then that Taemin had been more stunned to see the boy in such a state than he had been to be so boldly hit on.

The boy had kicked the man on the shin and flashed angry red eyes at the older male, growling in almost perfect Japanese for the man to “go away”.

The action had caught the attention of several passers-by who had ultimately stepped up to the rescue.

The memory makes Taemin’s heart clench in sadness that his son, so tiny and young, already feels the need to step up to defend him.

He is by no means defenseless and he does his best to let Lucas know that he can stand up for himself without the boy having to step up. But the small alpha doesn’t seem to understand that.

According to the pediatrician, such behavior from his son is only normal, given his dominant secondary-gender.

“You should expect him to only grow more protective and territorial as he grows up, especially since he has no other alpha to compete with for your affection,” the doctor had told him when he had brought up the fact during his son’s last check-up before moving.

Taemin was more than disturbed by the revelations and has since done everything he can to make sure Lucas doesn’t feel the need to show that kind of assertive behavior anymore.

He doesn’t want Minho striding into their lives and turning everything upside-down.

If the alpha is telling the truth, if he really didn’t know about Lucas, then that’s his loss.

Taemin has since learned not to expect anything from anyone and he sure as hell won’t put his son in a position where he either feels like he has to fight to assert himself or feels as though he depends on someone stronger to go by.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Minho doesn’t wait long to show up on Taemin’s door-step. In fact, he stands there the next day, fidgeting slightly on his feet as the omega opens the door.

Taemin set his jaw as he stares up at the man.

“You didn’t have to come,” he says in-lieu of greeting.

The omega pretends he doesn’t see the flash of hurt in the alpha’s eyes at his terse words.

“Yes, I did,” Minho replies nonetheless. “We need to talk.”

Taemin keeps himself from repeating that they don’t have anything to talk about. Instead, he sighs, telling himself to get it over with. He steps aside and invites Minho in, glad that Lucas is down for his evening nap.

He guides Minho to the living room and then sits across from the man, who’s taken place on the couch.

He doesn’t bother with platitudes or politeness. If anything, he hopes his lack of welcome might help him drive the elder out sooner.

“So?” He presses as the silence stretches.

Minho is looking around, as though searching for something.

“Where is Lucas?” He inquires.

Taemin presses his lips in a tight line, trying to keep his heart from somersaulting at hearing the elder say his son’s name so casually.

“He’s napping,” the omega informs curtly.

“Is he… is he still sick?”

Taemin frowns, wondering how the elder even knows that Lucas was sick. Until the memory of their first encounter comes back to him. He had been bringing Lucas home from the hospital that day.

That faithful day when everything started going downhill again.

“He’s better,” the omega says, itching to add more explanation but restraining himself.

Minho doesn’t have the right to know. He doesn’t even have the right to ask.

There’s the silence again. Heavy and tense and Taemin mourns every part of him that’s trembling at the prospects of how that conversation will go.

“Look Minho–”

“I want to be a part of his life,” the alpha announces with as much certainty as he would’ve stated his name.

Taemin instantly scowls.

“No,” he denies firmly.

Minho sets his jaw and then says, “you can’t prevent me from taking part in my son’s life.”

“You were the one who denied yourself that!” He exclaims and then flinches internally at his loud voice before lowering his tone, “you refused to acknowledge him before. Just because we’re here now, doesn’t mean you can suddenly become a part of his life.”

Minho is the one to frown now.

“I didn’t know before,” the alpha says, voice rough with something Taemin barely recognizes. “I would’ve been there from the start if I did.”

“I told you as soon as I found out,” Taemin argues, closing his fists on his lap, his short nails dig into his palms under the strength he’s using. “You chose not to listen.”

The words seem to make their effect as Minho casts his gaze down, looking at his hands, which are open on his lap, palms up, as though he is offering something. What, the omega doesn’t know.

Actually, there’s a lot of things he notices he doesn’t get from the elder anymore. Once upon a time, Minho had been an open book to him. Now, though, Taemin can’t decipher the expression on his face. There’s something there he can’t recognize. Something painful, foreign on the face of the man he once loved.

“I’m sorry,” the alpha whispers brokenly. “I was an idiot. I– Taemin, I thought I was doing the right thing… letting you go. Putting distance between us… I thought that was what you wanted.”

Whatever it was that the omega had been planning to say, whatever speech he had rehearsed the night before to push Minho away, it all disappears when the elder meets his gaze.

The vivid pain in his irises, the sorrow making his shoulders steep low, making his breathing shallow with barely contained emotion.

This is not the Minho he knows. He gets that now.

There’s something raw in him. As though the elder’s lost a part of him, one that has left a gaping hole behind.

Minho looks the same as he did four years ago, but everything else about him is different.

The proud alpha the elder once was seems to have left place to someone meeker, uncertain, almost clumsy in the way he handles himself.

Taemin’s heart shatters as he takes in the fact and he hates himself for feeling so much. For caring still.

Yet, he wonders what happened to Minho. What happened to the man he fell in love with, to the man he had once given himself to with the utmost certainty that he would be loved, protected and cared for, as any omega would’ve dreamed of.

He wonders if there’s any way to get that Minho back.

“Lucas is my son too,” the alpha says, having reigned in the quivering of his voice. “I know I wasn’t there for the two of you but I’m here now. And I want to be a part of it.”

Taemin doesn’t find it in himself to straight-out reject it this time around. Not when the desperate glint in the alpha’s eyes is making his insides recoil.

He thinks, as frustration and anger start to bubble in his chest, singing his insides like acid, that he should be the one making demands. That, going through the pregnancy by himself, stranded in a foreign country with barely any support system, legally bound by a contract he couldn’t possibly hold up in his state, he had earned every right to put his foot down and say no to whatever it was Minho asked of him. Especially given how the elder had mercilessly left him to deal with it all by himself.

“I know I hurt you,” Minho is saying, though he only meets Taemin’s gaze fitfully. “I made a mistake… and I want to make it up to you. To him.”

Taemin sets his jaw once again.

He recalls the callousness with which the directors had started treating him when he had informed them of his pregnancy. He thinks of how he was side-lined as soon as he started to show. He thinks of the complete disregard that the directors showed him, as they demanded he kept taking part in the rehearsals, even though the bigger and sicker he got, the less he could perform.

He remembers himself stubbornly doing his routines in the studio, despite being unable to perform on stage, pretending he couldn’t feel the dirty looks his fellow dancers threw at him.

He recalls being dismissed only four months since he got in the company, told that since he couldn’t hold up his end of the contract, they found no use for him.

Most of all, he recalls the humiliation of packing his things and having to call his parents in shame, asking them for help in paying the fine his contract termination brought him.

His parents – bless them – paid for everything without question and had him back in Kyoto less than a week later.

Barely a month and a half since he settled there, he gave birth to his little boy.

As the memories flash through his mind, Taemin thinks bitterly that nothing Minho does can ever make up for all of that.

Especially not for Lucas’s premature birth or the month during which his little boy’s life was touch-and-go.

“Nothing you do will ever make up for it,” he states dryly.

Minho looks like he’s been punched in the gut, all wide-eyed and gaping mouth, breath stuck in his throat.

Good, Taemin thinks vengefully.

“He doesn’t need you around. Neither of us does,” he says, rubbing salt on the wound. “I’ll tell you what I told Kibum: it’s been four years, the time to talk about this is over. You were merely a sperm donor and that’s what you’ll stay as.”

Minho doesn’t answer. He’s not even looking at him anymore.

“You should get going. Lucas will wake up soon and I don’t want him to see you here.”

He’s supposed to be relieved when Minho doesn’t argue. Instead, it makes dread wind its tendrils around his insides as the alpha claps his lips shut, gaze unfocused and fleeting and then gets up from the couch, rubbing his hands on his tights.

Even as he follows the movement, to walk Minho to the door, he finds himself hyper-aware of the flagrant fragility of the man he once believed was invincible.

Minho stops in his tracks just outside of the door. He doesn’t turn around to face Taemin as he speaks.

Hell, Taemin wonders if maybe he went a little too hard on the elder when he hears his quivering voice.

“I know I was wrong,” Minho confesses, shoulders slumped. “I should’ve called you back and listened to what you had to say. But I didn’t. Instead, I drowned everything out to get through my days without you. I’ll never stop regretting that decision.”

Minho audibly swallows and goes on, “you have every right to resent me. And I’m not asking for you to have me back. I know that’s not happening.”

Taemin’s the one whose breath gets stuck in his throat then.

“But Lucas…” Minho’s voice has regained some kind of firmness then. “Lucas is my son too. I lost three years of his life and I’m not losing any more time with him. Even if for that, I have to stoop as low as fighting for him in court.”

With that said, Minho walks away, leaving Taemin behind to stare at his retreating back. The promise – threat – echoing so loud in his ears, the omega can’t hear anything else for several minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please don't hate me! I do not take pleasure in hurting them, I promise...


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M for language (just to be safe)

**6.**

A bad feeling invades Jinki when Minho doesn’t pick up the phone.

Never mind that Kibum has been raving to him about how his best friend chose to ignore the very important and distressed calls from his mate four years ago.

He keeps himself from pointing out to the angry omega that, for months on, Minho had avoided them all, in his almost obsessive drive to pick up the pieces left of his father’s business after Taemin left. And that in the end, they were the ones who had to go and pick up the pieces left of the alpha himself.

He also refrains from trying to reach Minho that weekend, musing that the younger needs some time to cool off and digest the news he was given.

Still, that Monday, when he calls Minho’s office to have his secretary inform him that her boss has canceled every single one of his appointments for the week, Jinki allows the worry to chip away at his composure.

The worry morphs into dread when the younger male’s phone goes directly to voicemail when he tries to call him directly and that horrendous déjà-vu flashes into his mind.

He calls Jonghyun then, lets the younger know of the situation and they both decide to keep an eye out for their younger friend.

It just so happens that Jinki can’t find the patience to wait and see. So, when his shift is over and he leaves the clinic, he sends his mate a quick text, telling him he’ll be late for dinner and then makes his way to Minho’s apartment.

He fidgets inside the elevator and can’t walk fast enough to reach the younger’s door. As he rings the doorbell and the seconds drag on into a minute and then two, he even considers forcing his way in, before Minho finally pulls the door open.

As he takes in the younger male’s appearance, Jinki can’t help but set his jaw in both disapproval and sadness.

Dark circles are heavy under dull eyes, his complexion is gray-ish and his hair is disheveled. With his wrinkled pajamas and swollen face, Minho is the perfect picture of someone having just woken up.

Jinki knows better though.

“Have you eaten today?” He inquires as he walks into the apartment.

There’s no use waiting for an invitation in, he knows it’s already a given Minho opened the door.

“What are you doing here?” Minho asks back instead of answering him as he lets the door click shut behind him.

Jinki looks at the taller male, pretty sure he’s doing a very good impression of Kibum’s _‘I’m-in-no-mood-for-your-bullshit’_ look.

“Have you eaten at all, since Friday?”

Minho sighs in defeat and nods faintly.

Jinki stares at him critically for a few seconds and then points out flatly, “water and crackers aren’t a real meal, Minho.”

The younger takes in a deep, steadying breath and then pleads tiredly, “Jinki, please… I– I’m not in the mood...”

Jinki takes another moment to take in his friend’s appearance and consider his plea, evaluating just how much he can push before the younger snaps. He is the one to sigh then.

“Go take a shower,” he instructs gently. “I’ll make you something to eat and then we’ll talk, okay?”

Jinki can almost see Minho turning and tossing the denial at the tip of his tongue before he decides to comply without a word.

After the younger’s disappeared into the apartment, the older male toes his shoes off at the entry-way and hangs his jacket on the rack by the door before sending Kibum another text, informing him of the situation before turning his phone to mute and walking to the kitchen.

As he wipes up something for his friend to eat, he mulls over the possible scenarios that unfolded that weekend to bring Minho so many steps back.

He had been doing so well for the past couple of years, it’s frightening how easily he fell back on old habits. Jinki just hopes the not-eating and not-sleeping are the only bad habits the younger alpha has picked back up.

Though a nasty voice at the back of his mind sneers at him that a weekend on his own is more than enough time to revert to destructive practices.

He goes through the motions of cooking rice and chopping vegetables for a broth, as well as frying eggs and doesn’t see time pass. His mind has drifted off so far, that he doesn’t even hear Minho walk into the kitchen as he stirs the broth.

“You didn’t have to do all of that,” Minho’s deep voice startles him from his thoughts. “Isn’t Kibum waiting for you?”

Jinki turns his head to look at the younger, taking in his wet hair and overall fresher appearance, coupled with a cleaner set of pajamas.

“I told him I would be late,” Jinki informs as he goes back to stirring the broth, watching the chopped pieces of tofu and bok-choy float around the stew. “Dress the table, will you?”

Minho doesn’t answer, but Jinki can see him from the corner of his eyes as he goes to the pantry to retrieve the dishes.

They stay in silence for several minutes after that as Jinki puts the finishing touches on the food as Minho observes him from where he’s leaning on the counter. The silence is rather comfortable, though there’s the lingering knowledge that they have much to talk about.

Once Jinki is done with the food, he beckons Minho to help him put it on the table and then silently orders the other to sit down and eat.

As they sit, they eat silently for several minutes before Jinki sets his chopsticks down and levels Minho with a scrutinizing gaze.

The younger is barely touching his food, pushes the rice around the bowl more than he brings any to his mouth.

“I won’t leave until you’ve eaten everything,” Jinki tells him solemnly.

He doesn’t care that he’s acting more like a parent than a friend. If Minho needs to be parented then that’s what he’ll get.

Minho doesn’t answer.

Jinki sighs for what feels like the umpteenth time.

“Did you talk to him?”

Minho startles, spoon freezing mid-movement. He blinks but doesn’t meet Jinki’s gaze.

A nod is all he gets.

“Was it that bad?”

Another nod.

“Minho...”

“I screwed up, Jinki.”

The confession comes off as a statement of the obvious and yet, Jinki has the nagging feeling it encompasses much more than he’s supposed to know.

He leans back against his chair and says evenly, “I know, Kibum told me.”

Minho shakes his head then, choking in a breath and for a second, Jinki flashes back to the day when they realized just how bad things had gotten for the younger. How far he had sunken.

“I screwed up… I– I said I would fight for Lucas’s custody,” he manages to get out through his choked breathing. “I was… I was angry and… shit, Jinki. I screwed up so bad...”

Jinki can only stare in shock for several agonizing seconds, his mind a cacophony of _‘dammit’_ and _‘shit’_ that clouds his thoughts and keeps him from taking in the image of the crumbling man in front of him.

“You do realize you’re just pushing him farther away, right?”

The older male admits to himself that his tone is a little to dry and reprimanding. He’s even willing to admit he has his own share of unresolved resentment towards Minho. Yet, he knows that at this point, a hostile response will only push the younger alpha to close up even more.

“I didn’t mean it,” Minho confesses, voice so low, Jinki has to strain his ears to hear it. “I mean… I _will_ fight for my son. But… Jinki, I want us to amend things without having to resort to that.”

Jinki frowns and asks, “then why did you threaten him?”

Minho visibly flinches at the choice of words.

“Minho...”

“He said nothing I do will ever make up for the past four years… I– I didn’t know what else to do. Before I knew it...”

He leaves the sentence hanging but Jinki knows.

“You have to talk to him again,” Jinki points out. “Before this gets even more out of hand.”

Minho looks up at him then, panic filling his gaze.

“You don’t think he’ll leave again, do you?”

Jinki sighs and shrugs. Quite honestly, he doesn’t know. Despite the apparent closeness they shared since Minho had introduced the omega to their small group of friends, he realizes that neither one of them ever truly got as close to Taemin as they imagined they had.

If that had been the case, they would have suspected something was off when the omega had completely vanished off their lives. As it was though, they all took the radio-silence in stride, figuring that the younger probably felt awkward mingling with them after breaking up with their childhood friend.

Before they knew it, the time they had unconsciously given Taemin following the break-up to adjust to the changes in his life, had brought them to this very situation.

“He’s your mate,” Jinki opts to say, trying to keep his voice as composed as he can manage. “There’s no use pretending otherwise. Even if he’s angry at you, I’m sure you guys can work it out.”

He pauses, mulling the words before going on, “go apologize to him. Tell him you spoke without thinking.”

Minho scowls.

“He won’t even let me see Lucas.”

“Can you blame him?” Jinki shoots right back. “You do realize that he probably had a very difficult pregnancy, don’t you? Minho, over fifty-three percent of single omegas wound up suffering from alpha-withdrawal during pregnancy. Ten percent go through this even if they _do_ have their alpha partners around.”

Jinki watches as Minho’s scowl falls, his expression twisting into one of horror as realization dawns on him.

“Alpha-withdrawal has lasting effects,” the older male goes on, adopting the tone he uses with his patients at the clinic. “It’s not only traumatizing, but it can also hinder an omega’s overall health and future pregnancies. Not to mention what going through that must have put Lucas through.”

Minho swallows, his breathing shallow.

“Now, I know you went through your own share of problems,” Jinki says, though he’s not sure if the younger is even listening anymore. “We had to haul you back on your feet when you were self-destructing. But, as old-fashioned as it sounds, _you’re the alpha_. You _have_ to get over it if you want to fix things with Taemin. If you want a shot at seeing your son grow up.”

Minho looks down then and Jinki wonders if maybe he’s being too hard on the younger male. He lets his words linger for several beats, considering what to say next. He has to play the right cards if he doesn’t want Minho to completely shut down.

“Maybe you should call doctor Kang,” he suggests as the silence stretches.

Minho sets his jaw.

“I’m fine, Jinki.”

“Clearly,” the elder comments wryly – and maybe he’s failing at playing the right cards. “That’s why you haven’t been sleeping or eating all weekend. I’m actually surprised you aren’t drowning yourself in work right now.”

He keeps himself from adding anything else as he sees Minho scowl again.

“Call doctor Kang, make an appointment,” he instructs softly. “Maybe getting things off your chest with him will help you approach Taemin differently.”

“I’m fine, I told you!”

The outburst, though sudden, is not unexpected. Jinki clenches his jaw and stares at the younger male as he pushes himself onto his feet, the legs of the chair screeching against the tiled floor.

“I don’t need a therapist to know how much I fucked up,” Minho states, fists clenched at his sides. “I’ll fix this mess.”

Jinki is usually very composed. He doesn’t let his temper get the better of him, that’s Kibum’s way of handling things. But the past four years have been enough and he’s held in too much frustration to let this pass.

“Because you think that making threats will get you anywhere?” He bites back, a scowl of his own marring his features. “You think that wasting away like you’ve been the past years will help you win your mate and child back?”

He gets up at well, his own chair screeching on the floor.

“ _You_ are the mess, Minho. Hell, we can’t even recognize you anymore!” If his tone has risen and acquired a sharp edge, he can’t do anything about it. “I’m tired of trying to patch you back up every time you go on one of your self-destructive paths. Fix yourself first, because I doubt Taemin will want to go back to an alpha who’s lost all sense of himself. No self-respecting omega would.”

With that, he walks away, making quick work of slipping on his jacket and shoes and then leaving the apartment, slamming the door on his way out.

He doesn’t stop to think of the consequences of his outburst. He’s too angry to care.

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

Minho remembers the last words Taemin said to him before they went their separate ways.

_“I wish we could have made it work.”_

Even to this day, these words haunt him.

Most nights, after the omega had officially left the country, Minho would wake up with cold sweats, the words echoing in his ears, uttered in the different scenarios his mind conjured to make him aware of how much he regretted they _hadn’t_ tried harder.

It was to forget those words that he had stopped going home after work hours. Alternating between foregoing sleep to drown himself in work and getting intoxicated in the nearest bar, only to wake up in bed with a stranger the next day.

Every single time he woke up with someone else in his arms, or realized he hadn’t slept at all when his employees started to come to the office, shame would invade him. Shame because that had never been his way of life. He wasn’t the type to sleep around or neglect his health and yet, it had become so easy to. It numbed the pain somehow and even though as time went on, he could barely recognize himself he couldn’t bring himself to care.

No, when he thought about his omega in another country, building a name for himself as his dream came true.

It was that thought that kept Minho from boarding the next plane for St. Petersburg, in a quest for his omega. The thought that if he did go after him, he would be destroying everything the younger had so painstakingly earned.

He would be breaking the promise they had made to each other that they would respect the wishes and plans of one another.

It didn’t matter that Taemin had been the one to seek him out first barely over a month after he left. Minho had convinced himself then that not answering the phone was a way to honor that promise. That distancing himself was for the better, that if he did answer the phone, they would get back together and that, one day, Taemin would realize he had given up on his dream and regret it. That he would _resent_ Minho for it.

When the calls stopped coming, the alpha felt both relieved and hopeless.

Relieved because he didn’t have to constantly fight the urge to pick up the phone and hopeless because it all felt too decisive. Their break-up suddenly too real and permanent.

At some point, Minho’s hopelessness and sadness had turned to anger. He was angry at Taemin for moving on and forgetting all about them.

Angry because the younger stopped calling.

Though, today he realizes that not answering was his mistake. That, it was his fault things had ended up the way they did. Back then, all Minho could process was the hurt and the anger.

All he could see was the emptiness, all he could feel was the absence, of not only the love of his life but of the very basic instincts that made him who he was.

His inner-alpha went dormant. Minho was but a shell of the man he had once been.

And everyone could see it.

But Minho didn’t care. He couldn’t feel anything beyond the pain.

When he was convinced that none of his coping methods were ever going to help him forget, it was coincidentally right around the time the company had started functioning without him. So, he simply stopped.

Weeks on and off, he was staring at his walls, work accumulating on his desk, voicemail full to the brim with new messages and his health in the dumps.

It would be a lie if he claimed not to resent Taemin for it all. Because the omega was the one who brought up breaking up first. He was the one who had accepted a job offer in another country. He was the one who had expressed the regrets for their dying relationship right before boarding a plane for the other side of the continent.

Even so, Minho muses that none of that matters now.

As he stands outside the omega’s door, his chest and his stomach clenching painfully in dread, he tells himself to swallow it all down.

Jinki was right. He has to get over it. He’s the alpha, he’s supposed to be strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!! I'm back, sorry for not posting last week, I had exams and had trouble with the chapter... it was supposed to have more in it, but then it didn't feel right and I didn't know how to fix it, so I just procrastinated (for the chapter AND my exams).
> 
> Anyways, so... Minho seems to have taken Jinki's advice to heart. How healthy that is for him... I don't know.
> 
> Thank you the kudos, do tell me what you guys think!
> 
> With Love,
> 
> Joorin<3


	7. Seven

**7.**

Minho is not sure what to say when Taemin does finally open the door.

The omega glares at him almost instantly and it takes all of Minho’s willpower not to flinch under the heat of it.

“It’s almost ten o’clock, what the hell do you want?” Taemin asks dryly.

Minho steels himself.

“To talk… about last time... I– I was an idiot.”

The glare softens even if just slightly as Taemin raises an eyebrow at him.

“I didn’t mean what I said,” Minho explains as the omega just keeps staring. “Not entirely... not–” he scoffs at his loss of words.

How is he supposed to apologize if he can’t even get his ideas straight?

“You’re not taking my son away from me,” comes the defensive rebuttal and for a moment, Minho wonders if maybe he wasn’t clear enough.

“I’m not,” he replies hurriedly. “I’m not taking him away from you.”

Taemin blinks up at him, clearly not expecting the statement.

“All I want is a chance to get to know him,” Minho explains – _begs_ – as the silence stretches.

Taemin’s expression quickly closes off and Minho’s stomach rolls as he sees the refusal forming. He doesn’t give the younger the time to formulate it. He can’t afford another rejection, he’s not sure he can pick himself back up if that happens.

“I know you went through a lot,” he states, throat dry and voice rough. “I know he... I know our son probably did too. And it’s all my fault for not being there for you. But don’t you think it’s only fair to him to at least get to know his other father?”

“He’s fine the way he is,” Taemin states, voice hard as he speaks.

Though Minho detects defensiveness instead of anger.

“What about when he starts to ask where he came from? When he starts to ask about me?”

It’s clearly something the omega has considered. He’s unimpressed by the question, almost indifferent as he formulates his answer, “I’ll tell him the truth.”

Minho frowns and asks, “ _your_ truth or _mine_?”

“What do you _want_ from me, Minho?” Taemin growls back, delicate features twisting into a scowl. “Did you really expect me to be compliant? To just let you stroll back into our lives and have your way?!”

Minho notices that the younger doesn’t seem to care that they’re in the hallway and that anyone can hear them.

“Of course not,” the alpha denies almost instantly. “I just thought you’d be reasonable about this. I’m not asking you to come back to me, Taemin. I’m asking for a chance to get to know my son!”

Minho does wish he could ask Taemin to go back to him. He wishes he deserved that privilege but he realizes that he’s not worthy anymore. If he ever was.

As much as it pains him, he’s ready to give the younger up. Jinki is right, after all. No self-respecting omega would want an alpha like him. He’s known that for years, from the moment he felt the disconnection, from the moment he let go.

But if there’s one thing he won’t give up on it’s his son. Lucas, despite everything, is still his blood, his child. Even if Taemin doesn’t need him anymore, even if the omega doesn’t _want_ him anymore, Lucas has at least the right to decide for himself if he wants to completely scratch Minho from his life. For that, though, they need to at least get to know each other.

“Let him decide,” Minho finds himself saying at Taemin's shocked silence. “You’ve chosen for yourself, now let him get to know me. Let him decide if he wants me around or not.”

“He’s three,” Taemin deadpans.

“So what? Give it time, give us a chance to have something at least. Please, Taemin…” Minho’s voice is trembling so much, the sound is barely even intelligible, but he keeps on. He can’t give up, not on this. He’ll get on his hands and knees if he has to. “I– I’ll never ask anything from you again but at least let me get to know him, let us be father and son until he decides if he wants me around or not.”

Taemin stares at him with an unreadable expression on his face for several minutes and Minho can only wait. His stomach is rolling and he’s pretty sure he won’t be able to say another full sentence without puking right there.

“I’ll talk to him first, explain the situation,” the omega says eventually. “Be here Thursday at four, sharp.”

Minho has barely even registered the words that the door is being slammed on his face, leaving him to stare dumbly at the dark wooden surface.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Taemin rubs his clammy hands on his jogging pants and exhales heavily as he leans forward, resting his forehead against the cool surface of the door.

_“Let him get to know Lucas,”_ his mother had told him over the phone two days ago after he called her in a panic over the threat Minho had made to him. _“It will appease him, he won’t go to court if you let him get to know his son.”_

Taemin had gotten mad at her, told his mother that he couldn’t do that to his child. He had sworn on his life that he would never let Minho approach his little boy.

Then why the hell did he just consent to this madness?

He’s trembling from head-to-toe as he recalls the words Minho said.

_“I’m not asking you to come back to me, Taemin.”_

They shouldn’t hurt as they do. These words aren’t supposed to cut so deep. It shouldn’t matter that Minho doesn’t want him back. Taemin convinced himself long ago that he doesn’t _want_ to go back to the elder.

Then why?

Why did the statement hit him so hard that he found no other way to escape from the situation than consenting to let Lucas meet the man who abandoned them?

He finds out, as his mind conjures up memories of their happy times together, that he doesn’t want an answer to that question. Instead, he instantly balks as they form, pushing them back with all his might and reminding himself of how they ended up the way they did.

It’s these thoughts that he holds on to as he locks the door and makes his way further into the apartment, walking numbly to reach the door for Lucas’s bedroom.

As he pushes the door open, he is met with the sight of the three-year-old sprawled out on the bed, a leg hanging over the side of the mattress and his head flush against the wall, his neck twisted in such a way, the boy is sure to wake up with a stiff neck the next morning. The covers are twisted into a ball, tucked neatly against the boy’s side.

The sight, which usually makes him melt with fondness, now fills him with a sense of dread he finds himself unable to shake off.

Lucas takes too much after Minho. Even his messy sleeping habits.

Taemin swallows around the lump in his throat and takes in a steeling breath before making his way into the room and gently coercing the boy’s body into a better position, the heavy-sleeper not even stirring in the process.

Taemin wonders how he’ll deal with this situation as he sits down at the edge of the bed, patting the covers softly once he has brought them up to the child’s chin. He runs a hand through the three-year-old’s hair, his heart clenching in his chest as he watches Lucas’s peaceful expression.

He wonders how he’ll explain Minho’s presence to his little boy. Wonders if it’s the right thing to do, to expose the boy to such complicated family life.

Though as he recalls his mother’s advice and Minho’s pleas, he quickly concludes that he doesn’t really have a say in it.

He can’t run away. Not anymore.

He won’t risk angering Minho to the point of making him act on his threat to fight for custody. He can’t afford to expose Lucas to such a messy legal battle. Especially one that Taemin is bound to lose.

Omegas rarely win. Not in this society where the alphas are considered the superior gender, the apter to raise an _alpha_ child.

He blinks repeatedly to chase away the tears stinging his eyes and leans forward to deposit a kiss to his son’s forehead.

If allowing Minho to get to know Lucas is the price he has to pay to be sure to keep his son with him, he will go along with it.

It doesn’t mean he’ll let Minho worm himself into their lives. It certainly doesn’t mean he won’t push with ground-rules to prevent the older male from becoming too present, too involved or acquiring enough ammo to hurt his son.

All he has to do now is work out a way to keep his own interactions with the alpha to a minimum as he makes sure to keep Lucas safe.

Before any of that though, he has to figure out a simple way to explain to his son about Minho. Deep down, he’s hoping to forego mentioning their blood relation, though he has a sinking feeling in his chest that the strategy is full of holes and especially prone to pissing Minho off – not that he would mind that if it were not for the risk of the elder acting harshly in response.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

As it turns out, talking to Lucas about Minho is a lot harder than Taemin had anticipated. Two days after the alpha's late-night visit, he finally brings up "that man they met in the elevator" the week before to his son. Lucas’s face instantly clouds over and a pout pulls at his lips.

“I don’t like him,” he declares firmly, averting his gaze down to his bowl of rice, which he proceeds to poke at viciously with his chopsticks.

Taemin had honestly hoped that his son had let go of the grudge, but he has to concede that holding onto grudges in one part of his personality that Lucas had gotten from him.

“Sweetie, I told you, didn’t I? He’s an old friend of mine.”

The words are hard to articulate. Minho was so much more than just a friend and he knows that somehow, at some point, he will have to let Lucas know of their much deeper connection.

“But you were upset when he talked to you,” Lucas argues, his pout audible in his voice.

How is he supposed to explain that?

Taemin doesn’t want to lie to Lucas any more than he already has. But is he ready to tell the boy about his alpha father? Despite being a smart boy, Taemin knows his son is only a child still, one whose mind might not be ready to understand the problems his parents have.

“I was,” he admits in defeat. “But it’s gone now. He apologized.”

Though he refrains from saying whether he forgave or not. A lie of omission, but a lie still.

Suddenly, Taemin isn’t all that hungry anymore.

“He did?” Lucas’s large eyes are staring up at him in curiosity and slight doubt like he can see the omega’s internal struggles.

“He did,” Taemin asserts, forcing a small smile onto his lips. “I invited him over for snacks, tomorrow afternoon. He wants to meet you.”

Lucas frowns at the piece of information, abandoning his Pororo chopsticks where he stabbed them in his rice.

“Why? He’s not allowed here.”

Taemin blinks in shock, not quite sure he heard right.

Once again, the doctor’s warning from months ago echoes in his head. Lucas is being territorial.

“Honey, I _invited_ him over, which means he _is_ welcome here,” the omega explains slowly, making sure to make his voice as firm as he can.

He can’t afford to show uncertainty or weakness now. As Lucas’s father, he has to show authority, even as an omega. Especially as an omega.

He’s the only constant authority figure in his son’s life and has to stay so so that Lucas’s alphan instincts don’t get overwhelming and wind up trampling him down.

Lucas is obviously displeased with the turn the conversation has taken and he openly pouts through his frown, leaning back against the chair and crossing his arms in front of his small torso.

A small part of Taemin is admittedly relieved for the reaction, happy that at least Lucas isn’t going to make it easy for Minho to worm his way into their lives. The rest of him though is quivering in dread for the reaction that is going to pull from Minho. The last thing he wants is for the alpha to think Taemin made up Lucas’s mind to dislike him and decide to finally resort for a custody battle.

“Why?” Lucas asks, his voice taking on a higher, whinier tone.

Taemin cringes slightly, afraid that’s the first sign of one of his legendary tantrums.

Sighing slowly, the omega rises from his chair and walks around the table to go kneel by his son, whose chair he turns to face him.

“He wants to know you,” the omega explains softly, setting his hands on the boy’s crossed arms, stroking the small forearms with his thumbs and making sure to wrap the three-year-old in a comforting scent.

“But I don’t want to!” Lucas whines again, though his frown has disappeared and instead, he slowly leaning forward, closer to Taemin.

The omega knows it’s the scent he is giving off and he’s glad that the boy wasn’t so upset that such a small gesture enough to calm him.

“I hear you,” Taemin says, his heart clenching.

If only he could use Lucas’s reticence as an excuse to get out of this. Still, he’s too afraid that won’t be enough to deter Minho. What are the chances the alpha will just take that as an excuse or worse, an insult to his ego?

“But can you try? For me?”

It pains him to do this. To ask his son to put up with the other alpha when Lucas doesn’t want to.

The boy is sulking and Taemin has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from ceding to his teary gaze.

“Pretty please?” He presses softly. “Afterwards, we can have a date, just you and I. We’ll go to the park and eat pizza and ice-cream for dinner.”

Not the healthiest promise, but one he hopes will sway the stubborn little alpha.

He won’t tell the boy who Minho really is. Not now, this is too much already. Minho will have to be patient. He will have to understand somehow.

Lucas’s gaze turns interested then.

“Can I have two scoops of ice-cream?”

Taemin feels himself die inside, both at how enamored he is at his son and in dread for the torment that will ensue from the sugar-rush.

But if that will appease Lucas and make things easier to appease Minho, he’ll put up with it.

He’ll put up with anything for his son’s well-being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I wrote myself into a corner for a while and had no clue how to get out. In consequence, this is definitely not the best chapter, but it covered what it had to... Sorry for disappearing, it seems I haven't built enough stamina after my hiatus yet to keep to a set schedule...
> 
> Taemin decided to give Minho a shot at getting to know Lucas. How that came about and the consequences of it will be theirs to deal with. Minho is definitely not in a good place and it seems no one can see it. Not even him. Seems like he also left a deeper impression on Lucas than anyone expected in the elevator...
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for the love and the patience. Tell me what you guys think in the comments!
> 
> With Love,
> 
> Joorin <3


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